Down on the Border (Cavtat, Croatia - Herceg Novi - Kotor, Montenegro)

Before I get to our big day in Montenegro I need to have a whinge, dear reader. Uncharacteristically, it is not an unjustified whinge. It may certainly be a first world problem, but please don't be so judgey. It was genuine.

And so to the world of the rich famous. No not us, them. We were whiling away the afternoon on the back deck of the Lady Eleganza when a super yacht moored next to us. Actually, it needed several attempts to moor successfully. That was amusing in itself. Finally attached to the dock, the flurry of activity commenced, the plumping of cushions, the straightening of chairs, the positioning of the gangway.

The champagne station on the Akula.

The yacht next to us was slightly longer than ours. The Akula (Baglietto) has capacity for 12 guests in 5 cabins with 10 crew to pamper those on board. It is, like Clapton's yacht, available for charter, for an eye-watering €360,000 for 7 days. Plus a few extra charges.

The rich and famous sat on their back deck enjoying their evening while we slowly asphyxiated on ours due to the fumes from their generator. We shifted from starboard to port and then eventually inside as the fumes were making people nauseous. Despite polite requests, the crew would not accommodate our need for fresh air. The night continued inside in air conditioning. The morning revealed that the generator was not turned off until 1:30am. Those on the starboard side had to contend with the noise and the fumes. Apparently the generator could not be switched off because it was required to power the ship - even after the guests had gone to bed - just in case they wanted a spa at midnight. Arrogance and entitlement doesn't even begin to cover the attitude.

Yep. That about sums me up.

Anyway, back to the story.

We boarded our mini buses to transport us to Herceg Novi in Montenegro. They were a bit squeezy after the previous coach rides but we were divided to make the customs process quicker and easier. And it worked. The Croatian border process was less than 10 minutes and the Montenegrin customs officers waved us straight through.  Winner. The border crossing is the segue to today's title, Down on the Border by Little River Band with John Farnham on vocals.

The cowboy and his boat.

In Herceg Novi, we boarded speed boats for the transfer to Kotor. It became apparent very quickly that our boat captain was a cowboy and made every attempt to slam into the wake created by the lead boat. Photography became a challenge and I was happily surprised by the quality of the photos.

Home for a submarine.

Does it really need a caption?

The walking tour today was of the old town of Kotor. Another walled fortress. It was at the furthest end of the lake about a 45 minutes uncomfortable ride - depending on where you were positioned on the boat. There are four separate towns along the shoreline, dating back centuries. Of course there are churches everywhere. In the old town of Kotor itself there are 38. Back in the day, one of the lake villages with a population of 200 had 24 churches. What the actual?

Our Lady of the Rocks

There are so many churches, they even created an island in the lake to build a church and shrine. It's called Our Lady of the Rocks.

Count the churches in this photo.

Somewhere between Herceg Novi and Kotor.

We finally arrived at Kotor and it was crowded. I can't imagine what some of these places look like in peak season. In through the main gate to the town, we were walked and talked around for an hour. Then we had free time to walk the streets again and attempt to take photos without tour groups blocking my view. This was only partially successful.

Inside the main gate.

The old wall winds up the hill behind the town.

Kotor is known as the town of cats. While there were cats, I didn't consider the population to be any larger than other towns we have visited on this trip. Still, it was used as a merchandising point.

One of the many locals.

A statue to emphasise the point.

There is one street, a very narrow street, named Let Me Pass Street. Seriously. We were trapped in it by a tour group and their leader. They did not have audio boxes and their guide was shouting, making it difficult for everyone to hear. The prize for the day goes to an American group of around 50 people who also did not have audio boxes. So loud. So unnecessary.

Pretty lights.

We found our way to the town wall with a view to river and the thousands of fish that were swimming around. The views back to the lake were blocked by buildings. We met our group at the assigned time near the main gate and walked to a nearby restaurant outside the walls for lunch.

And no-one was fishing.

Then it was rodeo time again and we boarded the speed boats for the 45 minute shake, rattle and roll back to Herceg Novi. One of the more delightful guests assumed my seat so I was relegated to the front of the boat. Had our driver been from a specific part of western Sydney, he would have had a sticker on the boat saying 'get in, sit down, shut up and hold on'. The last instruction was imperative.

The border crossing was as simple and easy as it was on the way in and we were back on the ship in around an hour. Thankfully for those most affected by the fumes from the Akula it had sailed.

Tomorrow we head for Dubrovnik.

Until next time.

Under the Boardwalk (Šipan Luka - Cavtat, Croatia)

Šipan is the name of the island and Luka is the port. It is a small island and Luka is pretty much a fishing village. It has a number of restaurants along the waterline that looked a very pleasant place to sit and while away the time. It was lovely to be away from the hustle and bustle of the main tourist areas, although we ended up having two other ships moored off ours.

This would make a nice escape from the Australian winter.

With such limited port capability, our ship was moored nose in with the bow only a couple of meters from a local's front window. A rather confronting sight no doubt first thing in the morning!

The church off in the distance.

We had a guided tour of the village which lasted around 45 minutes and covered a tad over 1 km. We walked through the village which appeared to have a population of cats that outstripped the number of people. They greeted us as we left the ship and were found lounging everywhere along the shoreline.

The welcome cat.

The tour weaved its way up to the church which provided views back over the bay. As we stood admiring the view the bells rang out for 7pm. We returned to the ship via a different way that required walking down a series of limestone steps. Apparently there are over 120 chapels and churches on the island. Back in the day each house had a chapel and the priest lived with the family. Not sure about that as a concept.

Outside an art studio.

There were a number of buildings that needed attention.

Basically the economy of the island centres around agriculture and fishing with some service work at the small number of tavernas. The island is renowned for having the most densely planted olive trees around the region.

The sunset from near the church.

Back on board, we had dinner and a music trivia night. We did not win. The questions were skewed to a slightly older demographic. The winning table left, heads high to the sounds of Queen's We are the Champions. Most unbecoming behaviour, dear reader. So the song title today is one of the answers we did not know. Under the Boardwalk by The Drifters, the original version was required not any covers.

The ship next door had a disco that didn't finish until after 11pm, although we were unaware of this until the morning when it was being discussed at breakfast.

A cave in the limestone cliffs.

We sailed at 9 am after breakfast and then moored the boat just after 10 am for a swim, probably our last off the back of the ship. It was another excellent spot, crystal clear water, sea grass, a few little fish and that was about it. We bobbed around and swam to and fro for half an hour. It was always interesting to see what drink with which the Captain would us back on board. Yesterday was Limoncello, today was Grappa. Pass. Not a fan. Best not to drink it near an open flame, dear reader.

After some reading and blogging on the back deck, it was lunch time. Already? I had a glass of bubbles to toast the valiant Warriors and avidly watched the score between the Sharks and the Roosters. Happily the Roosters were knocked out of the finals. Time to celebrate.

A lighthouse near Dubrovnik.

The early afternoon was spent cruising towards Dubrovnik, not that we are stopping there. Captain Neno, no, not Nemo, Neno, slowed the ship down so we could photograph the famous stone walls. It certainly is spectacular from the sea. The churches hold pride of place on the hill top within the fortress, of course, and a sizeable cross crowns the mountain behind the town where the cable car completes its climb.

The famous walled city.

We'll be back in a couple of days to explore the old town. The motor was cranked up again as we headed for Cavtat. We are here overnight because the government in Montenegro changed the rules and we are no longer allowed to dock in Kotor. We are completing that part of the journey tomorrow.

Cavtat.

Cavtat is another of the lesser ports, still populated by tourists, not as large as Split but not as small as Šipan Luka. The old town contains all the things you would expect, cafés along the waterline, a few market style stalls, restaurants and bars. Oh, and a couple of churches. I bet that surprised you.

We walked around the peninsula, about 2 kms. The shore is dotted with swimming spots, some that boast a bar. To hire an umbrella for the day was €5 and sun lounge was €9. Somewhat cheaper than the Golden Cape at Bol. On the other side of the peninsula, we watched a couple who were parasailing, get reeled in to the boat that had been towing them. They were landed on the boat. I always imagined they would be dropped in the water. This is new information. Excited. It's now on the list of things to do.

The other side of the peninsula.

The round trip brought us back near the ship at a small market. Nothing of any real interest. We then turned and walked to the other point before the sun beat us down and we returned to the safety and shade of the back deck of the Lady Eleganza. Once we had navigated the two British women posing at our gangway. No, dear reader, they were not a part of our cruise.

Did I mention that Cronulla Sharks beat the Eastern Suburbs Roosters in the knockout final today? Oh, sorry. Just checking.

There was not much more to report. It was a lazy day on board the ship, watching the passing parade on shore and the other ships attempting to dock alongside us.

We have a big day tomorrow so I'm not sure when the next post will appear.

Until then.